Tackling MW Tests With Modular Instruments

Modular instrumentation is almost synonymous with National Instruments, and many of these compact measurement solutions can be viewed at the 2012 IMS (booth No. 1315). For example, the company will show a wide range of its compact PXI-based RF and microwave test instruments, including the PXI-565x series of signal generators, with models covering a total range of 500 kHz to 6.6 GHz. Packed into a single 3U PXI slot, these signal generators offer tuning speed of better than 2 ms and phase noise of -110 dBc/Hz offset 10 kHz from a 1-GHz carrier. Based on direct-digital-synthesis (DDS) technology, the generators can produce a wide range of phase- and amplitude-based modulation formats for testing modern communications systems.

The firm will also offer its model PXIe-5630, a vector network analyzer (VNA) in PXI form factor, at the exhibition booth. It covers 10 MHz to 6 GHz with better than 100-dB dynamic range and test-port power from -30 to +5 dBm. It has a -123-dBm noise floor in a 1-Hz measurement bandwidth and better than 400 microseconds/point sweep speed for production-line testing.